Under The Moonlight Clear
by DoneAndDusted
Summary: Reid Garwin knows that there's something odd about the new transfer student. No other girl has ever given him weird feelings before, after all. And when he begins to feel mysterious pulses of Power in the night, he just has to work out what she is hiding.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Kai was annoyed. It was, she decided, the way people stared. You would think that they'd never seen a new student before. Lifting her head proudly, she walked regally to the Provost's office, only her tight grip on her welcome notice betraying her irritated nervousness. Slipping inside in answer to the muted summons from within, she closed the door softly behind her and turned to face the pleasantly smiling man sitting on the edge of his desk, legs crossed casually at the ankle, back ramrod straight. Everything about him, from his neat but not extravagant suit and his patterned but dark-coloured tie to his warm, practiced smile spoke of a man who had spent countless hours in front of a mirror trying to achieve the perfect mixture of stern teacher and accessible adult he thought becoming to a man in his position.

Provost Higgins eyed his new student with a friendly, receptive smile, though inwardly his calculating mind was weighing up the likelihood of her causing trouble. Kailani Unswick was the first transfer student to come to Spenser Academy in the new school year. Although she had spent the most recent two years of her education at a school in California, her first – and most significant – experience of formal education had been in a tiny school in Africa. When her stepfather, a researcher for a medical company, had fallen in love with her mother, he had spirited her back home to the Golden State in true romantic novel fashion.

It was only there, in some little-known school, that it had been discovered that Kailani was a child prodigy. Mathematics, languages, science – everything came as easily to her as breathing. It was a rare concept that baffled her, and then she found a way to help herself out of the difficulty. It was this that had encouraged Spenser Academy to offer her a place and one of the much-desired scholarships, despite her lack of financial backing; her mother had died in a tragic accident only a month after moving to California. Her stepfather, though he retained custody of the girl, had fallen into a perpetual drunken daze shortly after losing his job.

Kai lifted her chin, her eyes fiercely daring the Provost to form an unfavourable opinion of her. Indeed, it would be a difficult thing to do. She was a relatively tall girl, only a few millimetres short of his five feet nine inches, built along sleek, narrow lines. Her skin was the colour of dark chocolate, her eyes perfect almonds of mahogany brown picked out with caramel flecks, the lids seemingly made heavy by their burden of lush, curled eyelashes. Smooth ringlets of crow's-wing-black hair foamed to her shoulder-blades, framing a face with haughty, elegant features. All in all, she was a striking young lady; exactly the type of person, thought the Provost in satisfaction, that we want at Spenser.

It was during the part of the interview in which he made casual conversation, after dealing with all of the required details, that Sarah Wenham slipped into the room. "Ahh, Miss Wenham, how kind of you to join us. May I introduce Miss Unswick? You will be helping her to find her way around the Academy, and to show her what a wonderful place it is."

As Sarah went across to the taller girl with her hand extended, the difference between them was a startling contrast. One was dark and lithe, the other fair and curved. "Hi! I'm Sarah. It's nice to meet you!"

Kai regarded the outthrust hand warily before taking it with her own, wrapping her fingers around the girl's before withdrawing it slowly. "Kai. Thank you for showing me around."

Sarah smiled pleasantly, disguising her curiosity. Kai's voice proclaimed her as a foreigner; it was rich and slightly husky, with a hint of a purring accent that made her sound exotic and mysterious. "Come on, I think we have English Lit together now, right?"

Looking down at her schedule, Kai nodded and followed the blonde out of the door and down a hallway still heaving with a pack of chattering teenagers. As they walked, Sarah pointed out to her teachers, classrooms and particular students. One boy, with a redhead seemingly growing from his armpit, turned his head to follow the pair, reaching out with the arm not already engaged to stop Kai in her place. She turned to him with a blank face, her perfectly arched eyebrows rising. Ignoring the glare Sarah was fastening onto him, the boy gave a smile, his bold eyes appreciatively roaming the contours of the new girl's body.

"Hey, baby. How do you feel about a guided tour of this?" He leered at her, hooking his fingers into the belt loops at his hips suggestively.

Kai dispassionately followed the movement of his hand with her indifferent stare, unblinkingly tracing his arms back up to his face. Then she gave a cool, polite smile. "I would be delighted, if you have a magnifying glass and a pair of tweezers I can borrow."

Turning on her heel, she looked expectantly at a smirking Sarah. The students around them, who had stopped to watch the confrontation, sniggered and went to move on. Behind them, the boy's face turned ugly with anger at these muffled sounds of amusement at his expense, and he grabbed Kai by the shoulder, spinning her around to face him and force her against his body, sending the redhead crashing into the lockers beside them as he yanked his arm from about her shoulders. Pushing his face so close to hers that she could feel his breath on her skin, he lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper.

"No chick makes Aaron Abbott look stupid!"

Kai's eyes narrowed, her nostrils flaring as she bared her teeth in a cold, feral smile. "Forgive me. I didn't know." Then, contorting her body almost impossibly in his grip, she bent and slammed an elbow between his legs, driving upwards with smooth grace to send him arching over her back and landing with a painful thud on the ground.

Aaron whimpered, clutching his bruised groin as he curled up on the cold floor. Looking up with hot fury in his eyes, he encountered the back of Kai's head as she stalked away from him, moving with a peculiar, rolling gait that seemed almost feline. Returning to Sarah, the girl seemed to shake herself, smiling pleasantly, her white teeth gleaming against her dark skin. Sarah idly noted that she had very sharp incisors, before she clasped her newfound friend by one long, graceful arm and guided her away from the cursing Aaron. Looking up into the dark, closed face, she gave a beautiful smile. "I think that you and I are going to be very, very good friends."

Kai smiled again, this time with warmth and satisfaction. The strange purr in her voice was even more pronounced when she spoke again in her oddly formal English. "I would like that."

Turning to go through the door into her first lesson, although it wouldn't start for another ten minutes, she walked into a very hard, oddly warm surface. Jumping backwards in alarm, her lips peeled back around a low hiss that, fortunately, was too low for anyone nearby to overhead, she looked up into very bright, very blue eyes. Slowly, her focus expanded to take in the fair skin around them, the long, blonde hair in exquisite disorder, the nose that flared slightly at the tip and the full, pink lips currently stretched into a smirk. Feeling his arms on her shoulders, steadying her as their heat seared her, there came a sudden growl in the back of her mind as her senses rocketed to full alert.

Breathing in the intoxicatingly dry smell of smoked oak that overlaid his natural, earthy scent, Kai felt as though she was drowning in his liquid-blue eyes. She could hear the blood rushing through his veins to the slow, sensual rhythm of his heart, and goosebumps broke out all over her skin. Feeling the familiar stirring in her mind, the sensation that always felt like a three-hundred-pound panther stretching languidly after a long rest – which was quite accurate, she thought dimly – she promptly did the only thing she could think of to save revealing her best-kept secret in the face of this stranger's animal magnetism.

She fainted.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: As this is my first published Covenant fic, I thought I'd give you two chapters in one go to help get things started. I hope you enjoy it, and know that reviews are much appreciated!

**Chapter 2**

Reid looked down at the girl in his arms. For a few endless seconds, their eyes met. He felt a strange tightness in his chest, as though a hand had closed around his ribs and was beginning to squeeze. He thought for a moment that he saw something different in her gaze, something dark and captivating. Then her eyes fluttered closed, curled lashes settling against her high, broad cheekbones and she went limp in his grasp, the sudden weight making him rock forward slightly. It took a moment for the truth of the situation to dawn on him, then his smirk spread into a full-fledged grin.

A girl - a beautiful, exotic-looking girl, at that – had just fainted in his arms.

Had swooned after looking at him.

God, I'm hot.

Sarah blinked in amazement. Looking around, she gave a sigh of relief; the hallway was mostly empty, as few students were ever early for Ms. Hardwick's lessons. "Hurry up and take her inside!" She hissed at Reid, whose broad grin was giving away his rapidly inflating ego.

Bending slightly, he shifted his grip and lifted the strange girl into his arms; he was surprised by how little she weighed for so tall a girl. He backed carefully through the doorway before turning and striding to the bleachers. With a grunt, he began to climb the steps towards his usual seat. It wasn't until he had carefully set her down in it that he realised that his unusual chivalry (and where did that come from, anyway?) had an audience. He turned to Sarah with a scowl, but she was ignoring him and looking at the girl. Giving a silent sigh of relief, he briefly let the power roll from his fingers and the door shut with a crash, the blinds on the window unrolling in chaotic tumble.

The sound of the door slamming seemed to have worked on the girl. She stirred slightly, her brows furrowing in a frown. Reid turned back to her and took the time to have his first good look at her without her passing out in his arms. As she moaned and raised a hand to her head, his breath caught. She was gorgeous. His eyes wandered from her glossy mane of hair down over her flawless, dark skin, skated past still-closed eyes and came to rest on her full, pouting lips. Feeling a tightening in his body, he cleared his throat and hastily sat down beside her; while he didn't care if she knew about his reaction, Caleb's girlfriend seeing him sporting wood wasn't his idea of a good time.

Kai's eyes snapped open, and she winced at the light before closing them again hurriedly. Her nostrils flared, taking in the scent of vanilla and sweetness, and the stronger odour of oak. Then she frowned; there was another, painfully strong, scent now, a dry, acrid smell that made her wrinkle her nose. She ran her tongue over her lips, stifling the growl of irritation that rose to them so naturally. Finally she cautiously began to open her eyes again, and was relieved when they adjusted to the light much more easily. Straightening in her seat, she frowned and looked to her right. Sarah smiled at her with a mixture of relief and concern. She smiled back, teeth flashing against her dark skin. Then she took in a steadying breath, firmly closed the part of her mind that housed her secret, and looked at the boy.

Reid smirked, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Hello, cutie."

His deep voice made the beast stir, but she held it back. Instead she gave a cool, polite smile; a girl has to have some dignity, after all, even in so embarrassing a situation as this. "Good morning. Please forgive my… moment of weakness. I am tired after travelling."

The smirk widened. "No problem. Feel free to share your moments with me whenever you like." He winked.

Kai's face froze for a moment before her eyes narrowed. Sarah frowned at Reid, but the dark girl slowly smiled, baring those sharp teeth. "Of course. I am Kailani. Kai, if you prefer it."

"Reid. Reid Garwin."

Her smile widened, but her eyes were mocking. "Well, Mister Garwin, next time the prospect of being forced to share a space with a boy makes me lose my senses in horror, I shall inform you."

His smirk abruptly vanished, but before he could retort the door opened and the other students came pouring in. Sarah took a seat beside Kai, giggling at Reid's stormy expression, and he turned to face the front of the room with a sullen frown. Kai looked up as another girl sat on her other side, a mocha-skinned, dark-eyed beauty. They smiled at one another warily, and Kate looked at Sarah with her brows lifted in inquiry. The blonde smiled warmly at the new girl, and the tension faded from the air. Kai extended her hand with a friendly expression.

"My name is Kailani. Kai, to most people. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Kate smiled and clasped the darker girl's hand. "Kate. Kate Tunney."

Settling back into their respective seats, the girls began to converse in the manner of girls worldwide, and gradually Kai began to relax. As she did so, she became warmer and more receptive to their tentative questioning, and by the end of their remaining five minutes of leisure, they were treating each other as old friends. Ms. Hardwick sailed into the room with a wide, dreamy smile on her face. Contrary to her name, she was a pleasant, slightly scatterbrained old lady with a gentle, carefree nature and the strange habit of speaking in a sing-song rhythm.

"Good morning, class!" She trilled with a sunny smile.

After the initial surprise, Kai smiled her pleasure and leaned back in her seat to enjoy the lesson. Ms. Hardwick, however, let her wide eyes travel across the seats before she waggled her finger in annoyance. "And where are the rest of my class, boys and girls?" Her painfully bright smile got even brighter as she floated towards the door.

It opened just before she reached it, and a young man stumbled across the threshold, followed by two slightly older boys who sauntered in for a more decorous entrance. Murmuring their apologies, they looked up and scanned the rows of seats. Kai watched as their eyes settled on Reid, who gave a flutter of his fingers in a mocking wave. The long-haired one barely glanced at Kai and Sarah, his eyes resting instead on Kate, who smiled and beckoned. The youngest one was already ascending the stairs, and the final member of the trio was giving Sarah a tender smile.

As they slumped down in their seats, the long-haired boy next to Kate, the other two by Reid, Sarah broke off her lovesick staring match to whisper in Kai's ear. "The one by Kate is Pogue Parry. That's Tyler Sims," she gestured at the youngest boy, who was eying Kai with curiosity, "And that's Caleb Danvers." The blonde gave a goofy grin as she looked at the serious face of her boyfriend.

The new girl nodded, returning Tyler's stare with a regally raised brow until he blushed and looked away. Caleb gave her a brief, distracted smile and Pogue saluted her with the hand not wrapped around Kate. Discreetly flaring her nostrils, Kai breathed in. Tyler smelt like olives, soft and fresh, underneath the chemical burn of his deodorant. Pogue was a blend of engine oil and dark musk, overlaid by the faintest hint of Kate's rose perfume. Caleb smelt like snow, elusive and enigmatic, and Sarah. And on all of them there was the bitter, ozone scent that clung to Reid. Her eyebrows twitched down into a frown as she breathed in deeply again, trying to pin down the new smell.

It wasn't until her third breath that she realised there were eyes on her, the hairs on the back of her neck rising like hackles. Without turning her head, her eyes flicked sideways and met the cool blue of Reid's. The blonde teen was watching her with piercing intensity, toying with his pen. When he met her eyes, his own narrowed almost imperceptibly. Kai merely tilted her head disinterestedly, and then glanced away again. Reid almost growled in frustration. There was something… odd about the girl, he decided. He would swear that she had been sniffing him earlier and then again when his brothers joined them. Catching her eye, he watched as a small, secretive smile flitted across her lips.

She was weird. Normal girls didn't make Reid Garwin feel short of breath, or make his heart rate increase whenever they smiled. Ignoring the background rise and fall of the teacher's voice, he looked down at his fingerless-gloved hands and remembered the feel of her soft, smooth skin under them. Clenching them into fists, he felt his gaze drawn to her profile again and his breath caught when she flicked an absent smile in his direction. Oh yeah, there had to be something different about that girl.


	3. Chapter 3

_She was running. Behind her, the faint sounds of her pursuer seemed to match the staccato rhythm of her heartbeat, thudding against her ribs as though to pull her onwards, faster, faster. Seeing the dark outline of trees ahead, she snarled with the effort of sprinting as fast as her powerful body would allow, the breath rasping in her lungs, her ears pinned against her skull. She shot into the trees, weaving her way through their trunks, hardly daring to slacken her speed. Seeing a low enough branch up ahead, she gathered her iron-hard muscles, feeling them swell beneath her sleek coat, and _pushed. _Landing with graceful poise on the branch, she whipped her tail up and around beside her, her mouth open as she panted desperately._

_Her ears were straining for a sound of his steps, her eyes darting around trying to find the gleam of light on his pale flesh. A branch snapped ahead of her and she froze. Below her, the albino panther stalked into the dim moonlight, his crimson eyes alight with the promise of pain and horrors unimaginable. He looked up at her, tail flicking like a taunting serpent, and she hissed in reply, baring sharp teeth. The remained there for a long moment, and then seemingly by mutual consent, they leaped for one another. They met in midair, and there was a flurry of claws and teeth and tails and fur, and it felt like her heart was going to burst with the effort, got to win, won't go there, can't go, nononono…_

_They landed lightly, gracefully, on their paws, but he was already moving, slamming a shoulder into her side so that she half-fell, crouching against the ground to avoid the snap of his teeth. Feeling his fetid breath on her cheek, she snarled and he gave a silent laugh, lips peeling back in savage amusement. His eyes meet hers, and she lashes out with hooked claws. Her glare is proud, fierce. 'Tonight, we finish this.'_

Kai shot up in bed, gasping for breath, her body slick with cold sweat. Throwing back the covers, she hit the light switch and stumbled to the window, clawing at the catch until it parted, allowing her to feel the cool night air on her face. Closing her eyes, she fought to still her trembling, breathing deeply of the scents of Spenser Academy, grounding herself. Rubbing at her shoulders, she shuddered. The nightmare was a familiar one, but its frequency never made it less terrifying.Looking up at the moon, modestly veiled by a thin layer of clouds, she closed her eyes and smiled.

The Change was painful. Falling into herself, she let go of the present, banished memory and ignored the lingering fear of the nightmare. In that terrifying, exhilarating place where she had no name, no memory of herself, her lips moved silently. _Be cat._ Then came the exquisite agony of the physical transformation, her bones grinding as her limbs shortened, her spine arching, her mouth open in a silent scream. Fur exploded from beneath her nightdress, tearing the delicate garment in two as she fell to all fours, gasping for breath. Her fingers curled and hardened into claws and her eyes gleamed with green light in the darkness.

Kai shook herself, panting quietly. Her thick tail lashed the air as she stretched, her claws sinking into the carpet. Crouching back on her haunches, she leaped onto the windowsill, framed there for a moment, a sleek, graceful predator. Grateful that the school had accepted fear of heights as her reason for requesting a ground level room, she slipped out into the night, feeling the primal power in her body with every step. Heading for the forest, she enjoyed the feel of the fresh, damp air on her skin, inhaled the crisp scent of woodland and the heavier, darker smell of moist earth. Breaking into an elegant lope, she vanished into the shadows beneath the trees.

It was the pulse of something like the Power that woke Reid. He lay still in bed, holding his breath unconsciously. His bright eyes bled into black voids as he reached out warily, but there was no other stirring that darted along his magical senses. Sitting up, he padded over to the window, careful not to wake Tyler. Looking out into the night, he adjusted his vision so he could see through the darkness, just in time to watch as an enormous black shadow was swallowed by the wood. He shivered slightly as the hairs on the back of his neck rose. He hadn't seen what it was, but that was no way a native creature. Hesitating, he looked over at his sleeping brother again. Then he shrugged, went across the room and slid out into the silent hallway.

It took only a few drops of magic to get him outside; locks were easy to undo, and the security cameras were even easier to turn away. He took off towards the forest, moving quickly, his breathing quickened by adrenaline. Pausing on the edge of the trees, he looked back at the school building, suddenly wishing he'd woken Tyler or one of their other brothers. That thought made him straighten and clench his fists angrily. _Reid Garwin doesn't need help to deal with one mangy animal. _Clenching his teeth, he stalked into the forest.

The silence around him was unnerving. The rustle of an owl gliding home overhead made him jump, and he dug his nails into his palms. _Get your act together, Garwin! It was probably just your imagination._ Not feeling comforted, but not willing to admit that he was afraid even to himself, he moved deeper into the woods. It wasn't until the school building was completely out of sight that he stopped, feeling cold fingers of dread sliding over his spine. There was someone – or something – watching him. He could feel it in the icy sweat suddenly breaking out over his body.

Swinging around, he searched the darkness in vain for a more solid patch of black. Above him, perched on a thick branch, Kai watched in a mixture of anger and amusement. Anger that she had been so careless, amusement that he had dared to follow her; there weren't many teenage boys who would come out into the forest at night, whatever they dared to say when they were safe in the daylight at school. Her large, rounded ears followed his movements as he began to back away, not thinking to glance upwards. Taking the opportunity when he finally turned his back to her, she gracefully jumped to the ground, gliding back through the trees towards the school, breathing a silent sigh of relief. She berated herself all the way back to her dorm.

Reid finally, reluctantly, turned to go deeper into the forest. It was the weird tingling on the back of his neck that made him spin around again, and he briefly caught a flash of glossy black fur and a tall, feline shape before it vanished. He remained frozen there for a seemingly endless span of minutes, then that soft, faint sense of almost-Power surged again. Taking off in a sprint towards the Academy, he darted out into the open just in time to see a light flicker off in one of the ground floor windows. It could have been coincidence, but a niggling doubt at the back of his mind made him resolve to figure things out.

Early the next morning, the sun found Reid sauntering casually through the hallway of the ground level dorms. Coming towards the end of the hall which had sported that single, glowing light, he slowed even further, dropping down to tie his shoelace. The sound of a door opening up ahead made him look up sharply, in time to see a tall, slender figure coming towards him with an air of distracted inattention. He rose in time for Kai to walk straight into him, his hands gripping her waist to steady her. Ignoring the odd jump his heart made when he touched her, he smirked to himself when she looked up in surprise, lips parted on a soft, almost inaudible hiss.

_Scratch that. Definitely something odd._


	4. Chapter 4

Tyler Sims was officially freaked out. Reid had called a meeting of the Covenant. _Reid._ The Covenant's resident rebel rarely made it to the meetings on time, never mind suggesting that he take them seriously. So for him to call a meeting? It had to be serious. And that was what was freaking Tyler out.

Although they jokingly called him 'Baby Boy', he knew that he wasn't as experienced or street-smart as Reid and Pogue, or even Caleb, who frowned on their typical brand of fun. He knew, too, that they meant it affectionately, not as a disparagement. Despite knowing that they loved him, he couldn't help but think that, as the last to go through the Ascension, he was somehow less capable or powerful than his brothers. His 'baby' status was a source of constant, if subconscious, worry to him. If Reid felt that he couldn't deal with this thing on his own – and he'd been known to make some reckless decisions on that front in the past – it was probably something that had scared him. A lot. That scared Tyler. A lot.

They met, as was the custom, at the top of the stone staircase, going down in order of age; Caleb went first, looking as serious as usual, then Reid, then Pogue, and Tyler last. When they had settled into the circle, there was a moment of silence. Then, as though by tacit consent, four pairs of eyes darkened to black, and the Book of Damnation slowly rose above the flames suddenly kindled around it. The ritual complete, they looked to Reid enquiringly; as the one who had asked to meet, he was traditionally required to speak first. The blonde rose slowly to his feet, an unusual expression of gravity on his face. The other three all shifted uncomfortably in response; Reid and seriousness didn't go together.

Looking around at them, the blonde suddenly grinned. "Lighten up, brothers of mine." Caleb smiled quietly, but Pogue and Tyler sighed in relief. Reid slumped back into his seat again, idly tapping his fingers against his thigh. Finally he sighed and began. "Did any of you feel the pulses last night?"

Pogue and Tyler shook their heads, but Caleb eyed Reid in surprise. "I did, but I didn't think it anyone else had."

Reid scowled. "Just because you've Ascended, it doesn't mean the rest of us are less powerful than you."

Caleb grinned suddenly. "Actually, yes it does." He lifted a hand to forestall Reid's caustic response. "But I'm sorry for not sharing with you, anyway."

Shooting him a last, black look, Reid examined his fingernails in silence for a few maddening moments. "It woke me up, so I thought I'd go check it out," he said at last, "I looked out the window, and I saw this thing going into the wood. So, naturally, I followed it."

Pogue rolled his eyes, Tyler just snorted, but Caleb frowned at him, the light from the fire flickering across his dark, handsome face. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that curiosity killed the cat?"

The blonde boy rolled his eyes in disgust. "And we all know what happened next." Caleb's frown deepened, but Reid ignored him and carried on. "Well, I got into the wood – and that's one creepy-ass forest at night, man – and I didn't see anything. I got this weird, tingling feeling on the back of my neck. Kinda like when I walk through the hallways and your girlfriends look at me." He smirked at Pogue and Caleb insolently. Tyler just grinned. "So I turn around, and I just catch sight of this _thing_ running off into the trees. I go after it, but it takes me a minute to find my way out of that shitty forest in the dark, and when I do I feel the second pulse of Power. I look across, and just after the pulse, the only room that had been lit up goes dark."

He paused dramatically. Tyler, Caleb and Pogue looked at him expectantly, but remained patient. It was better to humour Reid when he was in his awkward moods. "I went down this morning, and guess who came out of that room?" At their blank looks, he rolled his eyes. "The new girl herself."

"Kai?" Caleb.

"No way!" Tyler.

"So?" Pogue.

Reid quirked an eyebrow at the long-haired boy, who shrugged. "What's to say she didn't just walk out of her room?" Caleb and Tyler nodded.

"She _hissed_ at me. And she feels… weird."

Caleb smirked at that. "Reid Garwin is talking about feelings? There's irony for you."

The blonde scowled, clenching his fists angrily. "Aren't you always saying we should trust our instincts? My instincts say she stinks. And that's another thing! She _sniffs_ people! Normal chicks don't sniff people."

The eldest boy sighed, but nodded at the other two observers, who returned the gesture. "I'm sorry, Reid. It's just that you don't usually rely on intuition that much. But if you say she's off, we'll watch her. _Just_ watch her, okay?"

Reid carried on frowning, but his hands relaxed. "It's cool. Now let's get out of here."

It took Kai only a few days to realize that the Sons of Ipswich, (and wasn't that a label that just oozed presumption?) were following her. She shared every lesson with at least one of them, and everywhere she went she would spot one of them, never close behind her, and rarely looking at her, but always there. Sarah and Kate, who had rapidly formed a deep and lasting bond with the exotic girl, noticed that she was becoming jumpy and that her usual air of serene indifference was becoming more and more disturbed. They relayed their worries to the Sons, but Reid argued against backing off.

"Sooner or later," he maintained, "She'll snap."

Two weeks into their subtle campaign, he was beginning to lose faith. Kai had stopped speaking to the boys, had withdrawn slightly even from Kate and Sarah, and although she hadn't done anything unusual or suspicious, there was a wild, wary look in her eyes that reminded Caleb of the fox they had accidentally caught in a humane trap set for the Academy's lost cat; its primal terror and desperation at being trapped had left a lasting impression on him. When Kai's appetite dropped off, leaving her listless and dull, and her attention began to wander in class, Caleb finally called a halt to the whole thing. Even Reid had to admit that there had been no signs of abnormal behavior.

The strain of their constant vigil ran deeper in the dark girl than they perceived. The fierce sensation she could only describe as pressure had been closing more tightly around her mind every night she refused to undertake the Change, and the nightmares were becoming more frequent and more vivid. She found herself unable to eat, and the slightest sound made her jump; claustrophobia, always lurking beneath her skin, began to gnaw at her consciousness, and she became quieter, snapping at anyone who talked to her.

When they finally gave up trying to watch her, she almost cried with relief. Only her iron-like will stopped her from weeping; it had been looked on with disgust and scorn in her native land, where every child's lot was equally as lamentable. Since her tenth birthday, Kai hadn't shed a single tear. Even her mother's funeral had left her outwardly unmoved, though she still had tiny, raised scars on the inside of her lip from biting into it so hard. Despite their apparent acceptance of her, however, she was no longer at ease around the Sons, and continued to avoid their company. If they approached her, she would suddenly find that she had forgotten something, or needed to talk to someone. Kate and Sarah began to notice their friend's averted eyes and discomfort, and confronted the brothers.

"What did you do to Kai?" Kate demanded, poking Pogue hard in the chest.

He threw his hands up defensively, wincing. "Nothing! We didn't do anything to her, baby, I swear."

Sarah eyed Caleb, who looked back calmly, then Tyler, who was blushing and shifting uncomfortably. Her eyes narrowed, much in the manner of the lioness who has picked her kill. "What did you do? I swear, Caleb Danvers, if you don't tell me I won't speak to you for a month!"

Reid, with prudent fore-thought, edged away from the two girls, who stood hands on hips in the middle of their boyfriends' shared dorm. Without looking at him, Kate jabbed a finger in his direction. "Stay there, blonde boy!"

After another few moments of uncomfortable silence, Tyler suddenly blurted out in one breath, "We followed her around because Reid said she felt funny and we thought that she might be evil like Chase so we had to know if she knew but nothing happened and now I feel really bad and I'm sorry!"

Reid and Pogue rolled their eyes and shook their heads sadly. _The boy is whipped!_ Caleb merely cleared his throat, showing the first signs of unease. Sarah and Kate exchanged an eloquent glance and turned towards the door in disgust. That finally moved the eldest Son to act. "You know we had to do it, Sarah." His quiet voice stopped the girls in their tracks. "We had to know if she was a threat." He paused, his voice dropping to almost a whisper. "What if something happened to you? What if she knew about us, and went through you to do something about it? I couldn't handle it."

Sarah hesitated, but Kate turned on him, eyes bright with anger. She opened her mouth to speak, but Reid suddenly straightened and strode across the room, his eyes narrowing into a cold glare. He yanked open the door to reveal Kai standing there; surprisingly, she didn't seem at all shocked when the door was suddenly wrenched open. Raising her chin, she stepped into the room and Reid slammed the door behind her. She flinched almost imperceptibly at the sound. Looking at the dark smudges beneath her eyes, the blonde felt the first stirrings of guilt, but he pushed them away ruthlessly; Reid Garwin didn't feel for girls. Well, anything other than lust, anyway.

Raising her chin proudly, defiantly, Kai met their embarrassed eyes with fierce ones of her own. "You had to know whether I knew what?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **From here on in, the italics may get confusing. I did try to write them so that they made sense, meaning that the conversations go in logical order, but feel free to ask if you don't understand!

Despite the warning glares from his brothers, Tyler opened his mouth to reply, but Kai beat him to it. "That you were stalkers? That you felt the need to threaten me?" Her voice remained level and at its usual quiet volume, but it trembled a little. "I don't care about your inane, ridiculous little games. Just leave me out of it. If you come near me again," her bright, angry eyes swept around the room with contempt, "I shall report you to the Provost." Lifting her head regally, she seared them all with one last, scornful glare, then stalked gracefully out of the room, shutting the door with the softest click behind her.

There was total silence in the room after she left, which she listened to with satisfaction. _And that_ she thought with a mental purr of contentment _is the end of that._

During the next two weeks, the Sons all became accustomed to feeling the tiny ripples of not-quite-Power which disturbed the nights. They met more and more frequently, trying to figure out what it was that caused them. For some reason, Reid seemed to feel them more acutely; sometimes he would be the only one to wake, and it began to feel comfortable, almost familiar, to him. There was something almost pleasant in waking to that thrilling tingle dancing through his body. The feeling touched him more deeply than even Caleb, who, as the Ascended one, should have been the most sensitive to it.

It began to acquire the flavor of a game to him. The source of those gentle pulses of energy occupied his mind more and more; as his boredom began to take a back seat in his mind, his need to Use to enjoy himself began to abate. It was only two months until his own Ascension, and Caleb was quietly grateful to whatever it was that had taken Reid's mind from his own Power; the danger of addiction had seemed too close to the blonde for comfort. However, the soft waves of foreign Power troubled him, and he discreetly tried to hunt it down. He found, as Reid had quickly done, that his own Power couldn't pin down the other; it was such a quick flash of it each time, it slipped easily from his magical grip.

Ironically, it was Pogue, the least interested of the Sons, who found Kai out first. He had been woken by his own nightmare, in which Caleb hadn't been able to defeat Chase in time, and Kate had succumbed to the spiders' poison. Going to the window, he had caught sight of a dark shape gliding towards the building. Without thinking, he threw himself into the night, Using just enough to land safely before he took off, heading for the figure which was clearly visible on a night when the moon was almost full. It wasn't until he was only a few strides away that what he was seeing dawned on him, and he slid to a halt, eyes wide in shock and the first inkling of fear.

Kai had heard his rapid approach and turned to see who followed her. Recognizing Pogue by his unique scent, carried to her on the gentle breeze, she sat back on her haunches and waited, tail wrapped around her paws. When he slid to a halt in front of her, she gave the feline equivalent of a smirk, her whiskers twitching. When she rose to all four feet, her shoulder was level with his waist; even for a jungle cat, she was enormous. Deciding to have some fun, she let her lips wrinkle to bare her teeth, a playful growl rumbling in her chest.

To Pogue, it was like a scene out of a nightmare. The gigantic panther stood not six feet away, its long, sharp teeth much in evidence. He reacted without thinking, his eyes bleeding to black before a ball of energy shot towards the creature. Kai froze in surprise for a second that almost proved fatal. At the last moment she twisted with incredible agility, arching her spine and throwing herself aside. Her claws dug in to the soft earth as she slid sideways in a crouch, now snarling with a distinct note of menace. Taking the time between the first shot dissipating and the next forming, she flung herself at Pogue, sheathing her claws in midair.

She hit his chest with an impact that drove the breath from his lungs as he landed flat on his back. Looking up into green eyes, he waited in horror for the sting of teeth that would end his life. It never came. It took him a moment to realize that the beast was no longer snarling, and that the deadly claws were tucked safely away from his flesh. Puzzled, hardly daring to move, he waited for whatever was holding the cat back to vanish. Instead he watched the savage face relax as it descended towards him. He let out a muffled squeak as the cat rubbed the side of its face against his cheek, but it was the deep, rumbling purr it emitted that made him finally realize that it wasn't threatening him.

As soon as he relaxed, it lifted its head and daintily stepped down from him chest, allowing him to draw in a deep, much-needed breath. He sat up, eying the great creature, which was now lying contentedly beside him, still vibrating with soft purrs. Hardly believing the evidence of his unmarred hide, he reached out a trembling hand and tentatively touched it to the sleek, black fur. The purring grew louder as he began to stroke the satin-soft coat, feeling the muscles beneath it as hard as iron. Pogue let out a shaky breath, moving his fingers up to scratch at the delicate ears; he didn't dare stop, now that the creature was contentedly leaning into his petting.

The fingers slowly moved to the base of her other ear, only lightly grazing the skin beneath her coat, and Kai pushed her head upwards in an effort to increase the pressure; it felt damn good to have someone scratching those irritating itches she never seemed able to get rid of herself. His hand jerked, though it didn't quite leave her skin, and a wicked idea suddenly formed in her mind.

Pogue was finally relaxing, enjoying the incredible experience. There was a _panther_, the biggest panther he'd ever seen or heard of, lying at his side. He was surprised by how soft its hair was; somehow, he had thought that it would be coarser. He began to press a little harder with his fingers, studying the creature with fascination. It reminded him, a little, of his bike. The outside was sleek, smooth, built along powerful contours that flowed into one another as naturally as he breathed. Inside was the roar, the lurking power that was untamable and raw and so achingly, exquisitely seductive.

Deep in his thoughts as he was, the voice, when it came, was a terrible shock. '_A little harder, please, Pogue.'_

Yelping, he scrambled on his hands and knees backwards, staring bug-eyed at the panther. The great cat tilted its head, as though asking a question, and slowly came to its feet. Pogue saw, in detail, every tooth in its mouth as it yawned widely before padding over to him where he sat frozen on the grass. The long, thick tail whipped around to rest gently against his hand as it sat again at his side. The purring had stopped, but there was nothing threatening in its manner. Then the strangely familiar voice came again.

'_I am sorry for frightening you, but you made the itch worsen. If you please?' _And the rounded skull lowered to present the ear he had been scratching again.

Numb, he obeyed the command. It took a moment for it to click, but that husky, almost-but-not-quite-human voice was something he'd heard before, despite the savage growling note that, bizarrely, fitted the huge predator but didn't make it sound deliberately menacing. Then, "Kai?!"

The cat turned to him, its liquid eyes serene. _'Yes?'_

"Holy shit!" He looked around wildly, as though she would be in view. "Where are you?"

The cat began to purr again, softly this time, and with the sound a wave of calm swept over him. _'I am here, Pogue. You don't have to speak out loud,'_ she added, _'I can hear you, as long as you direct the thought at me.'_

Pogue looked down into the expectant stare, fingers still mindlessly moving against the firm base of her ear. Kai's ear. He was stroking Kai's ear. _This is so freaky._

The reply made him jump. _'Says he who recently attempted to obliterate me. That was very ungenerous of you.'_

He gulped. "Sorry." _I mean, sorry._

'_You are forgiven.' _After a moment of uneasy silence on Pogue's part - though Kai felt perfectly comfortable - he began to ask a question then hesitated. She took pity on him. _'You would like to know how I came to be a Somamorph.' _At his questioning glance, she explained. _'A shape-changer.'_

Nodding gratefully, Pogue listened in mute awe to her story. By the time she had finished, the stars seemed to have dimmed in the sky, and the moon looked as though it was wilting. Kai rose to her paws, stretching with languid ease. When he moved, the boy had to stifle a groan at the fierce ache in his cold muscles. He was still struggling to rise when a warm, heavy body pressed against his legs. The pain instantly eased as soft heat enveloped him. Looking down into the eyes of his friend, gleaming with feral intensity in the moonlight, he raised a brow. He was too tired to be shocked any more.

The tip of her tail touched his ankle as she turned away. _'A woman has to have some secrets, Pogue.'_

Before he could answer, she had melted away into the night with the innate ability of felines the world over. Shrugging, he headed for the dorms himself, looking back only once when the terrible, dying scream of a rabbit shattered the night. Swallowing hard, he continued on his way. _That is one hell of a secret._


	6. Chapter 6

Over the next two weeks, it became apparent to the other three Sons, and Kate and Sarah, that something between Pogue and Kai had changed. Pogue had been the most standoffish of the brothers since the Chase incident, and had been no more than polite to the new girl, but now he treated her almost as a younger sister. The newfound intimacy between them was surprising, but more so was Kai's attitude to him. She still rarely talked to or even looked at the other three boys, and was hesitant to allow Kate and Sarah to touch her, but with Pogue she accepted the casual touches common between close friends, and even shared a few hugs with him, which was never permitted for anyone else.

It irritated Reid. He had no idea why Pogue had been so swiftly and totally forgiven, and every time the younger boy hugged the dark girl a hot stab of anger and pain shot through his chest, making him clench his hands into fists and grit his teeth. He had felt one of them Using in the night days before, soon after the now-welcome touch of foreign Power, but he had figured it was Pogue or Tyler trying what he and Caleb had already tried. Now, though, he wondered if maybe the long-haired biker had found something out that he wasn't sharing with the rest of them, and it had something to do with Kai. That annoyed him too. Wasn't Reid the one who had realized there was something up with the girl? Wasn't he the one who was most touched by the strange Power, which he still thought was connected to her? She was _his_, damn it!

Pogue noticed Reid's confused anger, and was amused. Kate, however, noticing the affection and warmth that had sprung up between them, and seemingly kept on growing in leaps and bounds, was not. The hurt and anger would have no doubt festered in her mind, feeding on itself like a parasite, had Kai not quickly set things straight between them. Noticing Kate's frown when she sat beside Pogue at lunch, she cornered the other girl as they left the cafeteria, pulling her into the girls' bathroom. Kate, surprised, didn't resist. In a rare move, Kai reached out first and took the smaller girl's hands in hers.

Looking Kate in the eye, Kai smiled. "There is nothing between us. He is as a brother to me. He found out something about me that I do not want known, and was good enough not to share it with anyone. You are a lucky woman to have such a mate."

Pogue's girlfriend weighed things up for a moment, then let her lips slide into a wicked smile as her eyebrow rose. "Mate?"

Silently cursing her slip, Kai shrugged it off. "It is an appropriate word for humans as well as animals, sometimes. You are a pair destined to stay together. Come on, let's find the others."

When they came out of the bathroom, Reid gave them a leer and a once-over, as though looking for evidence. Kai merely raised her eyebrows coolly and pointedly turned away, and Kate rolled her eyes. Pogue came over and looked anxiously between them, and Kate smiled reassuringly before moving away to tell Sarah that all was well again; the blonde had noticed the tension between the two darker girls. Reid watched with suddenly narrow eyes as Kai lightly touched the back of Pogue's hand, smiling warmly.

The voice in his head didn't surprise the biker as much as before, but he still froze for a moment before relaxing. _'It is well, my friend. She understands.'_

_I didn't know you could do this like… that. _He looked at her very human, significantly female body questioningly.

'_The animal is strong in me, stronger than in almost every other of my clan, but I am a human first. The abilities are those of the human, not the animal.'_

_Abilities? There are more?_

'_Come to the woods one night. I shall show you them, in part.'_

Pogue smiled in understanding and accordance, gripping her hand a moment before breaking the contact. Reid's nostrils flared angrily and, as the new girl turned and followed after the others, who were moving up the hallway towards their afternoon class, he fell in beside the biker. For a moment he was silent, and when he did speak it was with feigned disinterest, his casual tone only contradicted by his tight lips and smoldering eyes.

"You two have become close. Going to let her join the party? That'll be one hell of a ride for you. I'm hurt that you didn't invite me, brother."

Pogue stopped, turning to face the blonde, who smirked arrogantly. "Kai is a friend, Reid, and that's all. Leave it. I think you've hurt her enough already, don't you?"

Surprised by the serious, stern reply when Pogue usually accepted his ribbing in good enough humor, Reid stared after the younger boy as he jogged to catch up with their friends. Forcing down his own guilt – he couldn't seem to forget the look that had been in her eyes after their prolonged stalking, damn it – he lifted his chin and swaggered after them, doling out winks and carefully calculated glances to any pretty enough girl to cross his path. It didn't matter that none of them had chocolate-dark skin and glossy raven hair. Nope, it didn't matter at all. Not a bit. Not even a… _I'm so screwed._

At midnight, exactly two weeks after Pogue's adventure, Caleb awoke. He was unsure why, at first, but then he felt a feather-light touch of Power, followed by the warm rush that he was now accustomed to. He frowned in the darkness; he'd become so used to it that it no longer woke him, and was surprised that it had this time. Settling back against the pillow, he was ready to drift off to sleep when he felt another twinge of Power, and this time of a familiar kind. One of his brothers was Using.

Looking over automatically at Pogue's bed, he blinked in surprise. The covers were thrown back, and the bed was empty. Concentrating, he felt around him with his own gift, still more surprised when he realized that it was Pogue who had Used; he'd been expecting Reid. Getting out of bed, he went over to the window and looked out, adjusting his vision appropriately. He scanned the grounds, quickly spotting the long-haired figure moving towards the woods. Scowling, he jerked open the window and, with his eyes blacker than the clear night, floated into the air. As soon as he cleared the side of the building, he shot forward at almost impossible speed, heading for his brother.

Pogue stopped when he felt the rush of Power, cursing Caleb and his Ascended officiousness. Turning, he watched as his elder touched down gently, folding his arms while the other boy approached. Caleb was frowning angrily now, his eyes glittering with rarely unleashed temper, and he opened his mouth to lecture Pogue beat him to it. The surprise was enough to keep the older boy quiet; Pogue was usually the one who agreed with him, while Tyler sided with Reid more often than not. He'd never interrupted Caleb so curtly before.

"I know what I'm doing. I don't need you."

Caleb's voice, when he replied, was soft. "So what are you doing? What made you feel the need to Use unnecessarily, to sneak out on your own in the night, without telling your brothers? You remember what happened last time you went on a lone mission?"

Pogue snorted bitterly. "I remember. This is different."

"Oh yeah? How?"

The biker's face became wooden and closed. "It's none of your business."

Caleb opened his mouth to reply, but he stopped when he saw Pogue's eyes widening slightly. Turning, he looked over his left shoulder and felt his jaw drop. Not ten feet away stood a huge panther, staring at him unblinkingly with its lips half drawn back from its teeth. Without thinking, he fired a bolt of energy at it, ignoring Pogue's shout to stop in his instinctive panic. The human mind is not dissimilar to that of a prey animal in its basest responses, and his fear expressed itself in his natural lashing out at the danger.

Kai's initial surprise wore off when she realized that the boy with Pogue smelt like snow, and she had just identified Caleb by sight when the shot came arcing towards her. She threw herself aside in a repeat of her first meeting with Pogue, a few nights previous, but wasn't so lucky. The edge of the orb caught her hind paw, searing the flesh and making her snarl in outrage. Turning, she raced into the woods as another energy ball exploded behind her. As soon as she felt steady enough on her wounded limb, she scrambled up into a tree and turned to inspect it, hissing angrily at the raw, blistered skin where her coat had been burned away.

Caleb went for a third shot before Pogue grabbed his arm, forcing it down. Looking into his brother's face, he was surprised by the fury there, even more so by the fist that crashed into the side of his face. From his position on the damp earth, Caleb looked up at the biker in confusion. "What was that for? I was trying to save us!"

"You dick! You hurt her!"

Caleb's bewildered frown deepened as his own anger flared. "Of course I did! I had to scare it off somehow!"

Pogue snarled, "She wasn't going to hurt us. Go back to the fucking dorm, _brother._" With that, he turned and sprinted into the wood.

After a few moments, the Ascended Son jumped up and raced after him. Caleb almost Used to find Pogue, who would surely get himself killed if he went looking for a wounded predator in the forest at night, when he heard a muffled snarl off to his left. Turning, he headed in that direction as fast as he could, feeling the breath rasping painfully in his lungs as his heart beat a painful tattoo against his ribs. Coming to a particularly dense patch of trees, he heard the murmur of a male voice, and stopped short in shock when Pogue finally came into his view.

The biker was crouched over the injured cat, but instead of attacking him, it lay still as he inspected the wound. Caleb could hear the low sound of its purring from where he stood, and he watched in amazement as it nuzzled Pogue's hand in what appeared to be gratitude. He must have made a sound, because the sharp green eyes turned to him and the creature bared its teeth in a silent warning. Pogue, alerted, turned to glare at Caleb, but when he opened his mouth to speak, his head suddenly jerked around to look at the panther, a look of surprise on his face.

After a minute, he rose and stomped over to Caleb, dragging the unresisting boy over to kneel on the ground next to the now silent cat. Caleb made a noise of protest, but Pogue just yanked his hand to touch the rippling shoulders.

'_That hurt.'_

The voice made him jump back, staring in amazement. It took a moment for him to recognize it, then his eyes widened in horrified surprise. "Kai?" He looked at Pogue, who scowled at him, then at the panther, then back at Pogue. "Kai?!"

The biker smirked and pointed at the cat, which was glaring at him. When he didn't move, Kai bared her teeth again before stretching her neck and gripping his hand firmly in her teeth. Caleb froze, hardly daring to breathe, but she didn't bite down; instead, he felt gentle pressure against his skin, then:

'_An apology would be appropriate now, Caleb.'_

Seeing the realization dawning on his brother's face, Pogue grinned and touched his own hand to Kai's tail. _Oh yeah, it's a doozy._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **I'd like to apologise for the lack of updates recently. My internet connection died and has only just been revived. But things should be back on track now. As ever I'd love to know what you think about the story. Do you want the rating to go up to 'M'? I'm currently at a point where that would be a logical progression, but it's up to you! Enjoy!

Caleb, hearing Pogue's voice in his head too, looked in confusion at the two pairs of eyes steadily resting on him. "What the hell is going on?"

The biker rolled his eyes. _Do you want to explain, or should I?_

Kai closed her eyes, the musical purr starting to vibrate in her chest. Pogue watched in amusement as Caleb visibly relaxed; having been exposed to the soothing quality of the sound before, he recognized its effect on his brother. _'You may tell Caleb all that you know. I would try to appease the pain of my wound.'_

Pogue nodded sympathetically as she twisted to examine her aching paw after freeing Caleb's hand. The long-haired brother released her tail and sat back on his heels, watching her with a crooked smile. After a moment, he began to relate his adventure of a few nights before, explaining that their new, sibling-like relationship came from their closeness during the exchanges in their minds, and taking the tale up to the point of his coming into the forest to see what else Kai could, or would, show him. There he stopped, looking down at her again.

"And that's that, I guess."

Caleb stayed quiet for a moment before hesitantly reaching out to gently touch Kai's ear. She looked up from the blisters with calm eyes, dulled slightly by pain. _'Yes?'_

"I'm sorry." He said out loud, before: _I mean, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you._

'_You are forgiven.'_ With a flash of rueful irony, _'You were not the only one startled by the Change. Perhaps this shape was not the wisest choice, but it is the most comfortable.'_

Caleb looked at his brother, who now had a hand on Kai's tail again, and Pogue grinned sheepishly in response. The eldest of the Sons sniggered, then caught on to what she had revealed. "You mean you can take on other shapes?" Grunting at himself, he began to repeat the question in his mind, but Kai interrupted him.

'_You do not have to use mind speech, if it discomfits you. I can understand you, though I cannot form words myself.' _Grateful, Caleb waited for an answer, which came shortly. _'I can take on other forms, yes, but my first Change was into this body, and it fits me best.'_

Pogue, who had been silent until now, interposed. "What else can you be?"

She looked at him, her eyes bright with keen intelligence, and took a moment to inspect the woods around them for movement before replying. _'I am always Kai, my friend, although my body changes. However, I shall reply in the spirit you intended. I can become any animal I desire.'_

The brothers caught their breath. The possibilities were astounding. Caleb was the first to recover. "Show me."

Kai's tail began to twitch sinuously from side to side and her lips wrinkled to show the faint glitter of sharp teeth. The boy, suddenly aware of the air of feral menace that seemed to cloak her in this body, gulped. "Please?"

After another moment of intimidating, cold silence, the panther rose to her feet and shook off their hands. Putting her hind paw gingerly on the ground, she hissed at the pain. They felt nothing at all in their magical senses, but before their eyes the wound began to heal, the skin lightening from angry red to pink, before soft black hair grew over it in a strange wave, as though someone had rubbed an ink pen over the spot. Then she backed into a clear space and for a moment was still, her glittering green eyes closed.

They watched as all the muscles in the powerful body suddenly went rigid, locking her into a kind of exquisite agony. The familiar pulse of her Power washed over them, and as they stared, the black hair began to recede into smooth skin, and they clearly heard the crunch and grind of bone on bone as her tail melted into a longer spine, her legs straightening and lengthening with sickening cracks of her joints, her cheekbones protesting with painful creaks as they shrunk to human size, her jaw grating into place. Finally, human Kai knelt before them, panting. And completely naked.

For Pogue, to whom she had mentioned it on their first meeting, it was less of a surprise. To Caleb, it was a shock, and not an unpleasant one. Both boys, however, felt familiar heat stirring low in their bodies and shifted uncomfortably; it was a natural reaction, and an uncontrollable one, but they were still embarrassed. Kai rose to her feet with fluid grace that seemed more noticeable now that they knew it came from her animal side, wholly unconcerned by her nudity. She looked at them and studied their hunched postures before a wicked grin, the first of that kind they had ever seen on her usually reserved face, stole over her lips.

"What would you see?" Her strangely formal English was still heavily overlaid by a husky growl, making her voice sound smoky and warm, like the burn of well-aged whiskey.

Caleb was silent, but Pogue sat up straighter, eyes gleaming. "A wolf." The elder boy rolled his eyes; Pogue's obsession with the creatures was a remnant of his father's gift to him on his thirteenth birthday – a motorized scooter that was an aesthetic replica of the Harley his father rode, which they had jokingly called 'The Wolf Cub'.

Kai nodded, going back down onto all fours. Her head sunk towards her chest for a moment as she closed her eyes in concentration. She felt herself dropping through that empty, hollow space where she was everything and nothing, and her lips moved. _Be wolf._ Then the wave of soft Power, and the transformation began again. Her spine shortened with a grinding sound that set their teeth on edge, her skull flattening and elongating, her shoulders rounding down into slender forelegs. Lastly her hair grew to cover her entire body, until a thick, shining coat of coal-black fur replaced it. The tall, lithe wolf opened green eyes to stare at them, tongue lolling out of her mouth as she panted gently.

Caleb was the first to speak. "Can you change color? Or are you always black?"

The enormous creature paced towards them, settling on her haunches with the tip of her tail on Pogue's foot, and one paw on Caleb's. _'This is my pack's color. Those of us from my village with the Gift chose, when first initiated, to always remain thus. It is a symbol of our bond.'_

Pogue reached out a hand to gently smooth the glossy fur along her back. "It's striking."

Kai looked at him, baring her sharp teeth in a wolfish grin. _'Of course. The women amongst us would agree to nothing less.'_

"How many are you?" Caleb asked quietly.

The wolf faced him, silent for a long moment. Finally, _'As many as we are.'_

Frustrated by her evasiveness, he frowned and opened his mouth, but the clawed paw flexing gently on his foot made him shut it again; despite Kai being human, he had already seen that she had the instincts of a panther when in that body. It would be, he assumed, no different when she was a wolf.

Pogue was frowning too, as though he were deep in thought. Caleb fidgeted while he waited for his brother to figure things out; despite his typically biker-guy appearance and occasionally loutish attitude, Pogue was far from stupid. He was laconic, but when he did say things, they were usually worth listening to. Unless, of course, his temper got the better of him. Finally, the long-haired Son looked at the patiently waiting wolf, which was a study of stillness compared to Caleb's unusual restlessness; it was a sign of the eldest brother's inner turmoil.

"Why didn't we feel anything when you healed yourself? We can feel it when you Change, but then I got nothing."

The reply was in a faintly amused tone. _'Because my Power is different from yours. I do not feel when you are utilizing your gifts, but I can smell and taste it. Your Power is directed outwards; even when you use it to make yourself fly,'_ she nodded at Caleb, _'you are using it to push against the air around you. Most of my Power is directed inwards; the Change and my other abilities affect primarily my body, and so the Power dissipates within me. However, the Change also alters my surroundings, as the very air trapped in my lungs at the moment of the transformation is changed to be most effectively used by my new form. That is why you feel the slight hint of Power, but nothing more.'_

This matter-of-fact explanation of why their Power was so easily felt stunned the brothers. It had never occurred to them that they could mask their 'signature' ripples of magic by changing their focus inwards.

After a long silence, Caleb spoke up. "We should tell the other two. They should know. It's unlikely, but if anything like Chase was to happen again…" He didn't need to finish. The ability to sneak up on a magically-armed enemy could be priceless.

Kai stiffened, but Pogue got there first. "It isn't just our secret, Caleb."

They looked at the wolf, and the steady green eyes were piercing in their commanding intensity. _'Tyler may know, but Reid...' _she was silent for a long moment. _'He is unpredictable.'_ She said at last. _'I shall inform him in my own time. Now you will tell me about your Power.'_

Caleb wanted to argue, but one look at the powerful creature beside him, with her wild, proud glare and regally raised head, decided him against it. As Pogue began to explain to their friend, he gave a resigned sigh. He knew from past experience, after all, that it was useless to argue with a woman.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** The lyrics in this chapter belong to Alannah Myles, from the song 'Black Velvet'. Sadly, I do not own it or claim any rights to it. I just borrowed it because I love it. Lots. And I'm still waiting on the rating judgement!

The boys remained oblivious to the subtle campaign being played out before them, fortunately for its target, but Kate and Sarah watched its progress with delighted eyes. Reid's obsession with Kai, sparked by the unusual feelings she had inspired in him, grew steadily. She, they noted almost clinically, played him as easily as a child. Every sign of interest was politely but coolly rebuffed, every attempt at a friendly smile responded to with civility but nothing more. Every so often, however, she favored him with a carefully considered glance that showed a hint of her own interest, or a coy smile that was as tantalizingly alluring as a glimpse of forbidden fruit for a starving man.

These small crumbs of hope seemed to content the blonde, and though he sometimes grew angry and flirted outrageously with whichever poor girl happened to be passing at the time, his rampant flings rapidly dwindled into one-night-stands, and then dried up altogether. As though as a reward, the pair of thoroughly amused observers noticed an increase in their friend's warm smiles, and now and then she would brush a light touch against Reid's arm or shoulder distractedly, as though by accident. With such lures she kept his interest firm, and he soon began to lose his focus whenever Kai entered a room, gazing instead with a slightly confused but stormily intense stare at the dark girl, who remained apparently indifferent to him.

There was only a week remaining until his birthday, and Reid was angry. He'd noticed that Kai smiled at Caleb again now, and that some of the stiffness had gone out of her manner when she spoke to him, but had written it off as her forgiving the one of them most similar to her more easily; Caleb's quiet, calming stillness wasn't dissimilar to the girl's own, after all. It still rankled that Caleb had won her warmth and trust back so easily, though, and his temper grew short when there was no marked difference in her attitude to him.

However, when he caught Tyler walking around looking slightly shell-shocked, staring at Kai with a gaping expression so often that she eventually reached out to gently push his mouth shut, he began to realize that something was up. Her brief, maddening touches seemed to be all that he lived for now, and though he knew it sounded melodramatic and loathed himself for it, he couldn't stop staring at her whenever she was in his range of vision. Still, he didn't truly notice anything until Kai allowed the other three brothers to jokingly lift her over a puddle one night on the way to Nicky's, their hands around her slender waist; then, he was certain: there was something going on that he didn't know about.

Sulking, he abandoned the Sons and the three girls as soon as they walked through the door into the heaving room, heading for the pool table. It took ruthlessly defeating three opponents, and winning their money, for his temper to cool slightly – Caleb, watching quietly from the other side of the room, was relieved and surprised that he didn't Use to win – and as he nonchalantly claimed his fourth victory of the evening, Reid began to scheme. Tyler was the most vulnerable of his brothers, and would be the easiest to extract information from, if he could just get him alone.

Fate seemed to be smiling on him. The opportunity arose only half an hour later, when Pogue and Caleb, giving each other long-suffering looks, threaded their way through the crowd to the jukebox in response to the three girls' pleading stares. Sarah and Kate laughed and jumped to their feet, while Kai smiled with feline satisfaction. Reid thought for a moment that her eyes flicked to him, but the next moment she had melted into the throng of dancers. Reid hardly noticed the first strains of music emanating from the direction of the dance floor; he was intent on seeking out his prey.

Tyler was standing with his back against the wall beside the table where their group had been sitting, looking away from the dancers towards the bar. Reid approached him quietly, suddenly smacking an arm against the wall beside his brother's head and leaning his weight on it casually. The younger boy jumped, swinging around in alarm. Seeing Reid's pleasantly smiling face, he began to relax, but then he noticed the threatening glint in those infamous icy blue eyes and swallowed hard.

"Hey Reid." His voice trembled slightly, for all that he tried to sound casual.

"Tyler, little brother! How's it going? Doing a fine job of propping up the wall, I see." Reid smiled toothily as the dark-haired boy gulped.

"Yeah."

The blonde continued, leaning forward as though to impart a confidential confidence. "It strikes me, Baby Boy, that there's something going on. I wouldn't want to accuse my _brothers_ of hiding anything from me, because I know that friends don't do that to each other, right? But I couldn't help but notice-"

Reid suddenly realized that Tyler's attention had wandered. Scowling, he waved a hand in front of the boy's wide, fascinated eyes but didn't get so much as a blink. He punched his friend gently on the shoulder, his temper rising again. "Baby Boy, I was talking to you."

Tyler just raised a hand and pointed over Reid's shoulder, in the direction of the sweaty mass of heaving bodies on the dance floor, his mouth dropping slightly open as his still unblinking eyes glazed over. Sighing and rolling his own eyes, Reid turned to see what was causing his little brother to go into meltdown and felt his own jaw drop. _Man, I might even be drooling, _he thought dimly through the haze of heat that had just suffused his entire body.

In the center of the dancers, who had formed a rough circle around them, Kai was dancing with Sarah, while Kate watched with a knowing grin from the edge of their 'arena' with a stupefied Caleb and Pogue. Reid tried to swallow, but his mouth was suddenly dry.

In the dim light favored at Nicky's for the atmosphere of intimacy it lent, they exuded raw sensuality that was like a siren's call to any male – and some females – within a thirty foot radius. Kai's black leather trousers clung to her long, lithe legs like a second skin, the red halter-neck top that bared the rippling muscles in her back tantalizingly rising over the taut skin of her stomach as she ground her hips into Sarah's. The blonde's short, shimmering cream skirt and gauzy silver kaftan over a barely-there strap top provided a brilliant contrast between her pale, innocent allure and Kai's darker sexuality.

Oblivious to their audience, Kai skated her hands down over Sarah's sides to twine about her hips, while the blonde threw her head back and stroked her petite fingers over her friend's dark curls, which bounced as they moved sinuously together. Reid was almost panting as he watched Kai descend towards the floor with incredible flexibility, her hips rocking and grinding to the beat of Alannah Myles' 'Black Velvet'. Recognizing the song, he felt a heady rush of searing desire as the words snaked around his senses, the husky singing voice – God, it sounded so much like Kai – making him pant silently for breath. He'd desired her before, of course, but this was new. Dangerous. Intoxicating.

_Up in Memphis, the music's like a heat wave,_

_White lightning, bound to drive you wild._

The girls were twisted so closely together now that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. The lyrics made his knees weak with the strength of his overwhelming lust. Screw Memphis, screw Elvis, this song was about Kai. His ears heard the slow slip of knowing fingers across purring strings and his eyes saw the slow slither of Kai's leather-clad hips across Sarah's, but his body felt the impossibly slow slide of teasing, masculine fingers across black velvet skin. She was all sultry heat, striking against him and sparking him into crackling awareness, as swift and as sudden as lightning.

_Mama's baby's in the heart of every school girl.  
"Love me tender" leaves 'em cryin' in the aisle._

Kai could feel his eyes on her, feel his sharp blue gaze beyond all the others fixed on them, and her breath came faster. Prickling awareness spread to every tingling patch of skin, feeling without seeing him the burning heat in his eyes. She ran her hands over her hips, seeing his pale, calloused fingers on her skin instead of her own in her mind's eye. That was him, touching their hearts and bodies, leaving them craving his magical touch, always elusive, always gone before they could get a firm enough hold of him to drink their fill. _Not with me. Feel this, Reid. Feel our destiny._ She breathed in the scent of sweat and dizzying desire, picking out his individual musk with ease as the music pulsed sensually through her body.

_The way he moved, it was a sin, so sweet and true.  
Always wanting more, he'd leave you longing for._

That was her: sweet, addictive sin wrapped up in a package that always left him needing more of her, her body, her mind, her very soul. He wanted everything she had to give and more, wanted to wrap himself around her and through her so that they were as close as she and Sarah, closer, one being, one entity, warmed by intimacy, bound by love and blazing with exquisite desire. God, he'd been so blind. Even when he closed his eyes, the image of her writhing body glowed in his mind, only now she writhed beneath him and gasped his name as hot ecstasy made her body burn for him. He wanted her, needed her, had become addicted to her without even realising it.

_Black velvet and that little boy smile._

_Black velvet and that soft, Southern style._

She'd noticed his little boy smile, in those rare moments when he was completely unguarded and totally bare before her eyes. His blue eyes gleaming behind the messy curtain of blonde hair, his cheeks dimpled, he shone with vulnerable youth and life when he smiled like that. But there were those moments, too, like now, when his eyes glowed with desire and something deeper, more lasting. He was like the South, combining that sultry heat and intensity with the chivalry and vitality of a spirit that was as changeable and as wild as her own. He was a study of contrasts, his fair hair and pale skin and his darker, more primal soul, hard in body but soft of heart. He was her match, her opposite, her other half. The animal in her howled and clawed to escape and claim him here, now. _Mine._

_A new religion that'll bring you to your knees,_

_Black velvet, if you please._

She could bring him to his knees without even trying. A smile, a touch from her and he was lost, drowning in her with no desire to be saved. Her skin, as soft as velvet, her eyes, as black as pitch in the dim light of the room, everything about her made him feel weak. He would follow her to the ends of the Earth, even further, just to keep basking in the warmth that swallowed and soothed his restless soul whenever she was near. She was his everything.

As the final chords of the song trailed away, the spell she had cast over him lingered. The teens around the two girls cat-called and stomped their feet in appreciation and as Sarah blushed and buried her face in a grinning Caleb's chest, Kai looked straight across the crowd at Reid. Their eyes met, frantic energy crackling between them like lightning, then she gave him a smile that he'd never seen on her face before, a mysterious, slow turning-up of her lush, full lips that promised such delights that it made him shudder. Her piercing, dark eyes beckoned as she turned and, casting a last, intense look at him, slinked out the door that led into the alley behind Nicky's.

Reid didn't wait a moment before stalking hungrily after her.


	9. Chapter 9

His eyes found her the moment he came outside. She was leaning casually against the wall, hands resting lightly on her leather-coated hips. Seeing him, that deliciously slow smile was allowed to spread across her face again, her eyes dark with desire and something else, something that called to him. Like a moth to the flame, he purposefully prowled towards her. Just as he came within reach of her, she parted those tempting lips to speak, but he didn't give her the time.

His hands snaked around her waist and he yanked her up against his hard chest. She made a soft sound of surprise, but was silenced when he buried his lips in hers in a kiss so savage it left her dizzy and breathless as sweet hotness raced from his mouth to hers. When he finally broke away, her heart was pounding like a drum against her ribs and there was a faint roaring sound in her ears as she panted against his skin. His scent filled her nostrils and she closed her eyes to feel the rightness of it. He bent his sleek head and pressed tiny, teasing kisses along her neck, nibbling softly just to hear her moan. When he reached her ear, he nipped the lobe before breathing hotly into it.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me?" His voice was a husky growl that made her shiver in anticipation.

She tried to answer, but could only whimper when his hand skimmed down her back, her skin tingling wherever it met his. The sound made Reid groan in response, swooping in to wrest another kiss from her lips, gentler but no less passionate than the first. Finally they came up for breath, Kai's body agreeably pliant in his arms. For once, there wasn't the rush of cocky triumph that came with making another conquest. Instead, he felt such fierce longing to keep her always within arm's reach that he pressed his forehead to hers, looking intently into her eyes. When he spoke, he hardly recognized his own voice; it seemed deeper, more authoritative.

"You're mine." He didn't know where the words came from, only that they felt right.

Kai smiled softly as the animal roared in triumph. "Yes."

He leaned in for another kiss, but before their lips could touch there came the sound of mocking applause. Reid scowled, annoyed at the interruption, but Kai suddenly went stiff in his arms. He saw her nostrils flare before she jumped out of the circle of his arms, shoving him behind her with surprising strength. He watched, confused, as she turned to face the seemingly empty alleyway in front of them, her lips peeled back from her teeth as she hissed angrily at the shadows.

Reid was about to ask her what was wrong when another figure emerged from the darkness; the blonde was taken aback – he hadn't seen a thing where the other man was standing. Taking a moment to study the stranger, he blinked in shock. The man was tall and lean like Kai, but there the similarity ended. Where she was dark of skin and hair and eye, he was ghostly white. His skin was so pale it seemed almost translucent, his hair totally white despite his evident youth; he couldn't be more than twenty-five, Reid estimated. His eyes, however, gave the blonde a creeping feeling of foreboding. They seemed to glow in the murky moonlight, a sickly red that made him look menacing and frightening for all that he was smiling.

The man's voice reminded him of the sound of wet silk being torn by a knife. "Kailani, my darling, it has been too long, has it not?"

His peculiarly formal English was so like Kai's, even down to his accent, that Reid nearly jumped. However, the familiar form of addressing _his_ girl made the blonde's hackles rise. Scowling, he went to reply, but the rigidly tense girl beat him to it.

"Iregi." Her voice was colder than he'd ever heard it before.

The man – Iregi – laughed. "Do I not merit more of a greeting than that? We are fated to join, my dear."

Kai began to stalk towards the albino and Reid saw her fingers crook into claws. "I shall not. You killed her!"

The other man seemed totally unconcerned. "Yes, I did. You should not have tried to run, Kailani; if you had just done as you were told, she would still be alive."

The girl flung a barely intelligible curse at him before spitting at the man's feet. "I would not touch the ground that Bayanyoka filth had walked on, let alone join with you!"

The man's face suddenly twisted angrily and he lunged for the girl, slapping her hard around the face. Kai gripped his wrist, doing something that made the albino jerk back with a snarl of pain. The sound of his hand on her flesh, however, had jerked Reid out of his shock. He leaped forward, pulling Kai back against him protectively and glaring at her attacker, who blinked in surprise, as though he had barely noticed the blonde there before. Then he began to laugh, a scornful sound that echoed from the buildings around them hollowly.

"You think this… _boy_ can protect you? My darling girl, he would not stand a minute against me."

Kai straightened in his hold, and Reid smirked. "Wanna bet on that?"

The albino frowned at the girl, ignoring Reid completely. "This is not how you should behave. Why does the Claim not affect you as it should?"

Kai laughed now, a harsh bark lacking any amusement. "I found a replacement. Did you not feel it, Iregi? This _boy_ usurped your Claim, and I submitted to him. Your Claim is void."

The albino's face contorted with fury, his fists clenching as a vein suddenly bulged in his forehead. "Then I challenge him, by the laws of the first Meet, to fight for his Claim."

Reid, totally out of his depth, looked from one to the other in confusion. Kai, however, seemed to understand exactly what was happening. She turned to face him with a half-smile, her eyes soft. Placing a hand over his heart, she closed her eyes for a moment and he watched as she inhaled through her nose, seemingly smelling him. As though the activity had calmed her, she relaxed in his loose grip, turning back to face the albino. She smiled again, although it was icy cold.

"You cannot. He is not of our kind, and is outside the laws. You have been replaced, Iregi, by a man more worthy of the honour."

The man stayed in place for a moment before he lunged for them. Reid gathered his strength to Use and build a barrier, but Kai was quicker. Ducking out of his arms, she braced a hand on the floor and shot upwards. Her shoulder slammed into the man's chest, sending him sailing backwards far further than he should have done. Kai raised her chin defiantly, stalking towards the panting man. Leaning over him, she gave a dismissive hiss and smirked.

"Get you gone, traitor."

Turning her back on the albino, she walked back to Reid, who pulled her against his chest. She rested her head wearily on his shoulder, the last of the tension draining from her body. He looked up to keep an eye on the mysterious stranger, but to his shock found that the man had vanished completely. Frowning, the blonde looked down at the girl in his arms. When it seemed that she had settled enough, he pulled back slightly and looked down at her. She met his eyes with a weak smile, looking more vulnerable than he had ever thought she could.

"I think there's something you wanna tell me, right?"

Kai opened her mouth to reply, but just then Caleb, Pogue and Tyler came tumbling out the door into the alley, grinning like lunatics, followed more sedately by a beaming Kate and Sarah. Everyone crowded around the pair, and the blonde boy felt Kai tense in his arms; after the tense confrontation, her animal instincts were on almost painfully high alert. Thinking she wanted him to let go, he loosened his hold, but the sudden disappearance of his comforting embrace just made the claustrophobia worse. Pogue, realising what was happening, backed away, but Tyler reached past Kai to thump Reid jokingly on the shoulder in congratulations.

The dark girl let out a sound between a snarl and a hiss, leaping sideways. Everyone's smiles faded as she backed away, something wild and panicked in her eyes that only three of the company recognised. Reid watched in confusion, and growing anger, as Pogue slowly approached her. The long-haired boy spoke in a low, soothing voice and finally the dark girl relaxed, letting out a shaky breath. Pogue, Reid noticed, didn't make an effort to touch her as they walked back to their friends, though the biker said something teasing that made her give a wan smile.

Kai moved straight back into Reid's arms, and he felt a rush of warmth flood his body. Resting his chin on the top of her head, he tightened his arms around her, smiling tenderly when she snuggled back against his chest. Seeing the foolishly love-struck expressions the other two girls were levelling at him, he quickly erased the smile with a scowl as the seriousness of the situation reasserted itself. Looking around at his guiltily shifting brothers, then down at his still but obviously uneasy girlfriend, he let the scowl deepen.

"Does anyone wanna tell me what the hell is going on?"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**A/N: **Sheesh! I'm so sorry for the wait, readers. I'm now coming to the end of my final year, and so I've had to work pretty hard. This story has been fighting me all the way since chapter seven, but I've finally got one for you! I'm not totally happy with it, but I'll be glad to hear your opinions. I am sad to say that this story will probably be wrapping itself up pretty soon, within the next five chapters or so I think, and I'll try to get more to you as soon as possible! Enjoy!

**Chapter 10**

Tyler opened his mouth almost instantly – he loved Reid like a brother, and keeping such a huge secret from him had been both hard and weighing terribly heavy on his conscience – but a glare from Kai kept him quiet. Reid noticed the exchange, and his expression grew darker. Slowly, the dark girl stepped out of his arms, her natural grace not reduced by the reluctance that showed in every line of her lithe body. When she looked up at him, her eyes were liquid with sadness.

"I had not intended to tell you like this. Iregi being here, however, changes things."

Her eyes were pleading as they locked with his, and confusion welled inside him when she suddenly went still. Then there was a grinding sound that set his teeth on edge and made him dig his nails into his palms as Kai's mouth dropped open in a silent scream. She fought to keep her eyes on Reid, fought to bare to him the part of her that she had struggled so long to control through the painful throbbing in all the muscles in her body that was so intense it made her gasp for breath. The sound of her clothing ripping at the seams seemed to echo the ripping, tearing pain suddenly screaming in every inch of her.

Seeing her spine arch in obvious agony as her arms began to shorten and her shoulder-blades rotated outwards, he leaped for her, but Pogue caught his arm to hold him back and-

-Kai's head rocked forward, at last breaking their eye contact, as the muscles around her neck swelled, and she felt the tug at her scalp as her hair began to grow, and then the most painful part of all as she felt her organs shifting inside her and, God-

-it hurt, whatever was happening to her was hurting her, and he fought Pogue's hold as her body was wracked by a spasm of total agony, and then he felt it, that soft rush of Power and oh God, it was Kai, she was-

-cat.

Her head rose slowly, sinuously, stretching sore muscles to shake off the last, subsiding shudders of pain. Kate and Sarah looked on in stunned horror, backing into their boyfriends' protective embraces and Tyler, who had known about but never seen the Change before, swallowed a vague feeling of nausea; Kai had eyes only for Reid, who was staring at her with a mixture of wonder and building temper, and behind it all was the aching, gnawing pain of her betrayal that only she could see. Padding forward, she did something she had sworn never to do; on reaching his feet, she lowered herself deliberately towards the floor and then, with a final, piercing glance at him, she sunk into a gesture that was unmistakeably a bow of total subservience.

Reid looked down at the huge animal before him, at the great head, bowed in a mark of voluntary slavery, at the lean muscles, relaxed in total trust, and at the huge paws, hiding deadly claws that could end his life in seconds. Slowly, almost in a trance, he reached out a trembling hand and rested it against the sleek fur. The regal animal didn't move so much as an inch, but the moment he touched her, a connection roared to life between them and he was slammed with a deluge of information and feelings; he could feel Kai's trepidation, her fear of rejection, her affection for his brothers, her respect and fondness for Kate and Sarah, and above it all a deep, abiding love for him that made his breath falter. Fascinated, he dug deeper, meeting no resistance, and then he touched something that made her recoil.

Kai felt him probe that dark, hidden corner of her mind, expanded in her current form, and flinched back. Ruthless, he grabbed for it, his sudden anger at her perceived treachery making him cold to her cries of warning. She fought, their physical bodies locked in stasis, their minds engaged in a fierce battle of wills as she tried to conceal what she was still so reluctant to let him see and he tried to climb inside every last corner of her mind in an effort to understand her. Slowly, still struggling against her, he began to hear her voice in his own mind, the surprise weakening his hold for a moment.

'_Please, please don't, oh God, Reid, can't lose him, won't lose him, no, nonono, please, so ashamed, Reid please, help me, don't let him…'_

The litany continued until at last he broke into it, his mental voice harsher than he'd intended. _You lied to me! You hid this from me._

Her growling, smoky voice paused, then: _'I'm sorry.'_

Her lack of denial made his anger cool slightly. _Why?_

'_I wanted to inform you of my… condition on my own terms, in my own time.'_

His hurt swelled again, and with it his anger. _Then how come the others know? They do, don't they?_

'_Yes. Pogue and Caleb discovered this coincidentally, Tyler because they wished it. You, however, I wanted to enlighten myself.'_

Reid's physical body relaxed slightly, his hand easing the painful grip it had taken on her fur. His voice, however, was still cold. _Why did you wait?_

'_There are parts of me that are not…obedient to human ideals and morals. Those parts make me do things that you would be ashamed of. Do you blame me for being reluctant to show them to you?'_

She could hear the sneer behind his words. _You don't love me. You _can't_, because you obviously don't trust me, and lovers are supposed to share everything, right? Guess you're just a user like me. How the mighty have fallen! _He mocked her bitterly.

Although she knew she had been in the wrong, and he could feel that she knew it, he had wanted to hurt her, wanted to distance himself from this deep, overwhelming connection that made her betrayal seem understandable. He felt the sudden surge of hot anger that swirled in her chest, laced with a feral ferocity that made him shudder.

'_Well then!' _Her voice was a terrible snarl. _'You may judge for yourself if I had the right to desire my privacy!'_

The others, watching the strange communion, saw Kai's lips wrinkle to bare her teeth, Reid's body suddenly stiffening, his head flying back as a spasm tore through him, before the pair returned to their eerie, silent stillness. Inside their minds, now melded together inseparably by the girl's iron will, Kai had suddenly wrenched open the gates to that last, hidden corner of her mind and a tidal wave of powerful, compelling instincts crashed over and around the blonde.

For a moment he was paralyzed as all of the cat's responses fought for dominance inside him. He breathed in on a choked gasp, and suddenly his mind was flooded with information as hundreds of scents clamoured for attention. Flinching at the conflict, he hurriedly exhaled, and when he breathed in again Kai took over sorting through the smells with an easy grace that astonished him. He had hardly any time to wonder at it before he suddenly became aware of a heavy, throbbing sound that beat against his eardrums, and as he realised that he was hearing the heartbeats of their friends, his mouth watered and he suddenly wanted to leap at them, to tear their flesh and feel the hot, sweet blood rushing across his taste buds.

Horrified but powerless in the face of the strength of the instinct, he struggled wildly until the crushing force of the compulsion faded; it took him a few moments to gather his wits enough to realise that Kat was dealing with each new impulse as he felt it, controlling them with the ease of long practice. He remained motionless, breathing hard, for a long few minutes once the urge faded, shaken by what he had wanted to do to people he loved and trusted. Still trembling, he began to carefully explore the strange, primal part of her that she'd been so reluctant to share with him. As images flashed before and around him, he finally understood why.

He felt the panic of her first Change, wholly unexpected to a lonely ten-year-old girl lost in the wilderness, and the way she'd helplessly been borne along by the panther's natural urges and desires. He felt the rush of savage triumph at her first kill, their first kill – only a blind rat, but their first successful hunt alone. He tasted the blood of their prey in their mouth, craved its rich flavour in the times of hunger, revelled in the strength it afforded them. He knew the aching sadness of their first and only human kill – one of Iregi's comrades, one of the Bayanyoki, the traitors – but felt the underlying satisfaction of having fought for and protected their tribe, their kin.

Slowly Reid began to pull himself away, to separate his awareness from Kai's as the girl watched passively. He stood back as the gates to that secret corner of her mind softly shut behind him, and felt a wave of warmth drift from her to him as she gently helped him break off the connection and retreat back into his own body. Their friends, watching anxiously, saw the blonde move first, taking in a deep, gasping breath before his eyes slowly opened, his hand dropping away from the cat's head. Kai moved then, rising from her crouch and casting a longing, understanding look at him before she turned and prowled into the darkness. There was a familiar whisper of Power and an owl, almost invisible against the night sky because of its unusual colouring, coasted past them and was swallowed by the darkness.

The others all watched the bird vanish before turning back to Reid. Sarah was the first to speak.

"Where's she going?"

The blonde's eyes remained on the spot where the owl had disappeared, but an enigmatic smile lifted his lips. "She's giving me time."


End file.
